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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: tube · file · rule · bulb · chair · lie · ball · wound

  1. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  2. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  24. I've got to change the light ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. file — a tool
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. tube — the underground
  6. bulb — for light
  7. chair — a leader
  8. rule — government
  9. wound — an injury
  10. tube — a container
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. ball — a dance
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. ball — a great time
  16. rule — a law
  17. file — a document
  18. file — a line of people
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. wound — an injury
  22. lie — to recline
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. bulb — for light

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com